Need Genotype testing help

[alicenfred]

Has anyone done the DNA Genotype test for their Dexter Bull or any Bull?
Our Dexter Bull must have a genotype on file with the ADCA to have any of his calves registered.
I have the insructions on how to pull hair samples from the switch of his tail, but how do you do this? Does the bull need to be in a squeeze shoot to pull the hair samples out of the switch of the tail? Where is the switch of the tail?

Read more: http://dextercattle.proboards.com/in...#ixzz1O2mepBdA

[SFM in KY]

The switch of the tail is the long hairs at the end of the tail. If it's like the method of pulling mane hair on horses for DNA or color testing you take a few hairs at a time and pull slowly but steadily with the hair and the hair root at the same angle, so when the hairs release and pull away, you have the root of the hair rather than having the hair break off. If the bull is handled easily, I don't know why you'd necessarily have to have a chute ...

[genebo]

If your bull is gentle, you can simply grasp his tail and quickly wrap a twist of switch hair around your finger. The twist of hair must be bigger than a pencil lead and contain about 40 hairs with roots. Then yank, hard. Switch hairs come out fairly easily and your bull probably won't even flinch.

I've done lots of these, for years, and never had a Dexter make a big deal about it. Headgate? Way over-kill.

Here's the complete drill: Have a Zip-lock bag ready to hold the sample. Wash your hands. Select a place on the tail switch that is free of manure and trash. Grasp the tail just above the switch with one hand. Quickly wrap a strand of hair around your finger and yank hard. Place the sample in the zip-lock bag and close it.

Wash your hands before taking another sample. You don't want to get even one hair from one sample mixed with the second sample. That will ruin the DNA test.

Use a magnifying glass to examine the hairs you have pulled. You should have 40 hairs with the root attached. That's the little bulb on the end where it was pulled. That's the part they test, not the hair.

Be very careful not to cross-contaminate the samples.

I usually pull at least twice the number of hairs that I need, and keep the extra hairs. You may also want to have him tested for PHA, and that takes a different sample.

At The Veterinary Genetics lab at UC Davis, you can have a single sample tested for genotype, parentage verification, chondro, A2, color and dun factor. That's where I get my tests done. If done through the Legacy Dexter Cattle Registry, all the tests I mentioned plus registration costs about $80. Then you can use the results as-is to register with the PDCA, or pay $5 to have the genotype converted to the ADCA's genotype format. Then you can register with the ADCA, using all the results except the A2 result. They don't take that.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

[juliemom26]

We just pulled hairs from 3 of our cows for A2/A2 and coloring testing. They were not happy about it. We did use a chute for our full size cow, but our two calves we just tackled (God bless 'em). We would have never have gotten the tail hairs without the chute for the full grown cow, but she is not tame, even though she is a nice gal.

Julie